Real Ale Festival announced.

(13/01/2012 @ 09:22:00)

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The 13th Annual Beer Festival, organised and staffed by members of the Somerset Branch of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) will take place once again at Minehead Station on September 8th and 9th. Opening hours for the Festival will be 11 to 11 on the Saturday and midday until 4 p.m. on the Sunday.

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The main emphasis will be on beers brewed by the many award winning smaller breweries in
Somerset but styles of traditional ales not brewed within the county will be sourced from further afield to give visitors a chance to try to the full variety of styles of traditionally brewed and served cask conditioned beer. Expect around 100 different brews to be on sale when the Festival opens. Entry to the Festival is free but visitors will need to buy a Souvenir Festival Glass or a cheaper plastic alternative. No cash is taken at the bar. Tokens should be purchased at the same time as the glass. CAMRA will have a sales and recruitment stand there and Festival souvenir tee-shirts, polo shirts and sweat shirts will be on sale.

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In addition to the beers there will be ciders, perries, some wine and soft drinks on sale. Food will be available from the Turntable café during the day and there will be a pasty van positioned by the station entrance. The café closes in late afternoon but there is a Saturday night Hog Roast. In addition there are plenty of other places to eat close to the station.

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Entertainment on Saturday night is still to be confirmed whilst the Tone Valley Jazz Band will make a return visit on Sunday afternoon.

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WHY NOT MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT?

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By purchasing a 2 Day Rover Ticket (sorry, no discount on these) it would be possible to spend a day at the Festival and another exploring the Good Beer Listed pubs along the 20 mile length of the line. For that you will need accommodation and the following pubs have ale and accommodation. We cannot recommend any of these above another. Nearly all are Free Houses so matters can change quickly. A polite call in advance is probably a good idea:-